Noit

I bought a Thule Crossover eight years ago and the zip on it has finally gone. Short of getting a local seamstress to fit a new zip, I think it's time for a new one, and am a bit tempted by the Thule Crossover 2 30l. Are Thule still good? Is there anything else of the same sort of size that I should be considering?

I’m looking for a lightweight waterproof jacket with a hood, ideally available in the UK. I don’t buy jackets very often so I don’t know what I should be looking for asides from that broad category. Suggestions welcome!

My daughter is approaching 3 and my wife has suggested a tablet either as a birthday or Christmas present, and I’m a bit hesitant. It’d be great for long trips, but I think as a day-to-day thing it might be a distraction. It’d get Spidey and Friends off the telly though. How and when did you handle this?

A few months ago I bought some Amazon knock-off fingears to see if I vibed with the concept on the cheap. I liked the idea but the execution was dreadful, magnets were weak, plastic was incredibly cheap and rattly.

So I splashed out thirty quid on the official fingears. They’re definitely much better, the gearing is much smoother and the plastic is much better quality. But the whole thing still doesn’t quite cut the mustard, the magnets still feel a little weak and the sound is still a bit rattly. Does anyone know of anything that’s a step up in quality? I know they’ve got a wood and metal version for £90 but that’s quite a jump up and I’m concerned about spending that much on something that flies out of my hands so frequently.

Does anyone have any experience with the wooden fingears, are they significantly more satisfying and ideally a bit more sticky, magnet-wise? Or are there any other similar products that bridge the gap between £30 and £90?

Series 16 starts on September 21st, 9pm on Channel 4.

I’ve set up a play money prediction market, see if you can predict who will win the next series.